Food To Record To: In the studio with E'Clat

We already know that E'Clat isn't the type to create a bunch of dazzling, hard to make recipes. He is a Peanut Butter and Banana kind of man. That means when E'Clat's working in the studio, you won't find leftover homemade pizza, egg fries and herbal teas like you would with Buchanan. So what is it that fuels E'Clat's musical endeavors? Let's hear from him what the best Food To Record To is:

1. McDonald's
The food I record to most often is McDonald's. While recording, me and my producer Will Prolux would leave the studio to get a fresh pair of ears and head to McDonalds for their amazing McChickens.

2. Cookies
While in the studio I usually eat some cookies. Ha ha, man I am a sucker for sweet foods. Its like Lay's potato chips, I just can't have one.

3. Larry's Giant Subs
My favorite restaurant is Larry's Giant Subs and my favorite meal is the turkey breast 1-foot sub. I love this restaurant because the Cuban bread here is amazing, its like a party in my mouth. Since I love to eat the 1-foot sub, it sets me right for the rest of the day.

4. Whatever Looks Good With The S.K.R.W.E Clothing Line
Aw man, just joshing you. I just wanted to make it known that E'Clat does have his own S.K.R.W.E clothing line. You can see it here.

Alright, so we are mixing down some McDonald's McChickens, cookies and a foot long turkey sub on Cuban, throwing in a few shakes of Will Prolux's production and E'Clat's lyrics and pinching off a smidgen of S.K.R.W.E clothing. The result? Getting down to something like this:

Food To Record To: In the Studio with D.O.N.S

One of the central pieces to the Branson family Thanksgiving dinner this year was a vegan green bean casserole topped with almond encrusted shallots. Oh doggie! Its been four days since Thanksgiving came and went and I still can’t stop thinking about that dish. What I wouldn’t give to have another plateful in front of me right now. My index finger? Possibly. My left ear? Definitely. My dancing shoes? Uh…no. The “creamy” part of the casserole was made by soaking cashews, my current favorite nut, in water. Another big fan of cashews? German DJ/Producer/label owner D.O.N.S. He will espouse their virtues as well as two other foods in our latest installment of “foods to record to.”

First, the accolades. D.O.N.S. has established himself as one of the most innovative, unique, and exciting figures in the dance music industry. He’s released hits such as the legendary “Pump Up the Jam” (the 2nd most successful worldwide dance track in 2005), “Big Fun” (voted as one of the best 25 cover versions of all times by DJ Mag), “The Nighttrain”, “Searching For Love”, and “Alive”. His songs have topped mainstream and dance charts all around the globe propelling him to the rank of A lister. His hard work has led to top 10 sales chart positions in the UK, Spain, Ireland, Scandinavia and France. His technique and energy have set prestigious clubs and festivals on fire. Whether bootlegging or mashing, live or on radio, D.O.N.S performances are one of a kind and not to be missed. What fuels this passion? Calories. Where do these calories come from? These are his favorite foods to record to:

1. Sushi
 Easy to eat, healthy, there’s many different varieties, not too filling and you can eat it with one hand while the other one flies over the keyboard. On top of all that, it’s one of my favourite foods anyway.

2. Fresh fruit – preferably berries.
Refreshing. When you’re getting tired during your regular producing night shifts, fruit gives you extra energy through the fruit sugar and of course they’re rich in vitamins and extremely healthy.

3. Cashew nuts
The perfect snack. They’re packed with energy, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for a robust health and they fight starvation fast if you’re about to miss a deadline and have no time to eat.

His latest fruit, nut and sushi fueled hit, chart topper is "Big Fun" (featuring Terri B):

Food To Record To: In Studio with Charlie Hedges

I held a morning drive show in Chicago for a few months. It was terrible. I woke up at early o’clock and pedaled my bicycle through deserted city streets only to arrive at the studio and be seated across from a co-host who didn’t know anything about anything. Every topic our producer or I threw out was met with a blank stare and an “I’m too tired to think.” Needless to say, we never made it past single digit listeners. That is a far cry from the type of influence that Charlie Hedges exudes on the world. Here’s just a few of her accolades:

*She is one of the most in-demand and high profile female DJs in the UK influencing 5.6 million listeners (per week) as co-presenter on the Kiss FM breakfast show.

*On the club circuit, she’s played to thousands of discerning clubbers across the world at parties such as Sundance Festival, alongside Carl Cox at Space, Amsterdam’s Gashoulder and Ministry of Sound.

*Away from the decks, she’s crafted and honed a signature house sound in her many hours in the production studio

Charlie is currently at work in the studio producing a number of tracks that are set for release in 2015. What does a star of Charlie’s caliber fuel up on during her studio time? What has she dubbed the best Food To Record To? Here are her three staples:

1. Fajitas
For me, quick and easy meals are best as I’m normally either in the studio making a new house track or getting ready to travel to my next DJ gig. Normally I go for chicken fajitas with peppers, onion, chilli powder, salsa and sour cream, simple but tasty.

2. Salmon stir fry
Again, another quick and simple meal. The salmon goes in the oven for 20 minutes. About 5 minutes before it’s finished cooking, you get your noodles, veg, basically anything edible that you can put in a stir-fry, throw it all in the pan, cook then add the salmon into the mix for a another minute.

3. Mezze
Granted it’s more like a starter than a main dish but depending on what you include in your mezze, it gets you pretty full and you can eat it pretty fast. Get some Tzatziki which is a classic Greek cuisine of Greek yogurt and chilli, jalapeño and feta. Simply add peppers to feta cheese, make some hummus (chickpeas pureed with lemon juice, fresh garlic and salt) and then plate some pita bread, cucumber sticks, carrots or tortilla chips. That’s it, you’re done.

Food To Record To: In the studio with Buchanan

When I was just a wee lad preparing to run off to the local recording studio and drop some Chocolate Covered Gerbils’ tracks, my mama always made sure I didn’t leave without a gourmet bagged lunch in my hand. As she handed it to me she would tussle my hair, kiss my cheek and say “Recording on an empty stomach is bound to make your Barry White sound like White Snake” (she later replaced White Snake with White Zombie to keep up with the changing decades). Even now, year’s after I quit the band, I still have that bit of advice scrawled across my bass guitar case.

The last thing Buchanan wants, as they are currently in the process of recording their new LP, is to make their Barry White sound like whatever current inferior white monikered band is making the rounds. I mean they’ve prepared hardcore for this LP. Some of the steps they’ve taken: relocated from Australia to Europe, introduced themselves to their new scene with a number of debut performances, brought in the helping hands of London producer Simon Duffy (Leftfield, Mr Hudson, Dirty Vegas) and added an electronic element to their songs. But forget to eat in studio and none of this matters. All these changes just crash, burn and float away in the wind.

So what does Buchanan find to be the best Food To Record To? Here are their three staples as relayed by frontman Josh Simons:

1. Homemade Pizza

They’re easy to put together and almost always instantly satisfying – exactly what everyone needs when their minds are still on compressor settings and similar nonsense like that!

2. Eggs, mushroom, onion and avocado fry up

If you’ve been working through the night, which we often do, sometimes a proper greasy fry up is exactly what the body craves (but perhaps not necessarily what it needs) to carry you through that next (long) day.

3. A healthy selection of herbal teas and coffee

It’s not exactly a meal, I know, but without a doubt, the 100% most essential meal in any
studio environment is the coffee break!

Where can one experience the aforementioned electronic shift that Buchanan has undertaken? The new single “Coming Down” is the perfect place to start. It is the first taste of the band's upcoming LP. It is also their first single ever released in Europe. Take a listen:




Taz got all remixy with it: